Hopes fading

Dong's dream adventure in Europe was cut short by a serious knee injury that resulted in him being waived by United in 2008, but the 40-year-old set the bar for Chinese strikers that few have managed to match since.

And a goalscorer of Dong's caliber was sorely missed by Ivankovic on Tuesday, especially in the frenetic second half.

Spurred on by its substitutes, Brazilian-born playmaker Serginho, a naturalized new recruit, and teen star Wang Yudong, an intriguing prospect from China's under-20 squad, the host put up a gusty fight late in the match, throwing quite a few punches back at the Socceroos, but failing to land any of them.

The two early goals scored by Australia's Jackson Irvine in the 16th minute and Nishan Velupillay in the 29th, both owing to defensive errors by Chinese players, proved too steep a hill for Ivankovic's men to overcome, as the Socceroos took a big step toward securing direct qualification, with the win putting them three points clear of the third-placed Saudis, who tied 0-0 with the already qualified Japan in an earlier match on Tuesday.